NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AAA 400
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 24, 2010
TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/OLD SPICE CHEVROLET met with media and discussed racing at Dover, the Chase, and more. Full Transcript:
WHAT DO YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THE FIRST PRACTICE SESSION?
“Well, that we are 25th right now. We’ve got some work to do. The times are really close. If you gain two-tenths, you’re in the top five. We’ve just got to find a little bit more for qualifying here.”
WITH THE FORECAST SO DIFFERENT ON SUNDAY, ARE YOU WORKING ON QUALIFYING NOW OR JUST YOUR RACE SET-UP?
‘We did our normal deal. We did about two-thirds of the practice in race trim and then switched over to qualifying trim so we kind of stayed the same course we always do.”
AS A TEAM OWNER, WHAT IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW YOU OVERLOOK STUFF OR DOUBLE-CHECK AFTER THIS WEEK?
“I’m not sure what the question is.”
WELL AFTER THIS WEEK, A LOT OF TEAMS ARE PAYING EXTRA ATTENTION TO THINGS
“We’re not doing anything any different then we always have. Everybody on our side at Stewart-Haas is doing everything just like we’ve been for 27 weeks now. So, we’re not doing anything any different.”
AFTER THE AGGRESSIVE NATURE OF LAST WEEK’S RACE AT LOUDON, DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE THE SAME HERE AT DOVER?
“I’d say guys are going to be pretty aggressive. It’s not going to be any different than it normally is. Last week’s race wasn’t a different race than what we normally see because people were paying attention more to the guys because it was a Chase race. The race itself wasn’t different. The guys didn’t race any different. They raced just as hard as they always do.”
ON FUEL MILEAGE AT LOUDON, DID YOU THINK YOU ACTUALLY HAD MORE GAS THAN YOU DID?
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask Darian (Grubb) that question. I don’t think I did a good enough job of saving fuel during the run and during the cautions, so I take responsibility for it.”
HOW FAR INTO THE CHASE WILL IT BE BEFORE YOU KNOW THE TOP CONTENDERS?
“I have no idea. How can anybody possibly know until you run each feature race? I mean, that’s just common sense tells you that you can’t tell. Every week something can happen just like what we had this week or somebody getting crashed on the last lap. I don’t know how anybody can tell that.”
ON GOING TO KANSAS CITY:
“It’s the same thing as everywhere else. You’ve got to get your car to turn and be good back to the gas.”
WHAT DISTINGUISHES THAT 1.5-MILE TRACK FROM THE OTHERS.
“They copied it from Chicago or Chicago copied off of them (Kansas); it’s no different than most of the 1.5-miles we go to, it’s a copied race track.”
YOU HAVE TWO WINNERS HERE, POTENTIALLY FOR THE OFFICE DEPOT SMALL BUSINESS DEAL AND THEY WANT TO WIN A MILLION DOLLARS, WHICH IS PRETTY EXCITING. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT BEING IN THEIR PLACE?
“Yeah, it’s a great position to be in and hopefully Greg and I have good runs and hopefully one of us; if we can’t win it, I’d like to see Greg win it this week just to help somebody win a million dollars, that’s pretty cool that Office Depot is giving to small businesses in this economy an opportunity. And they’ve won already. I mean they’re already winners. They’ve already gotten small business makeovers and now they’ve got a chance to hopefully win a million dollars.”
About Chevrolet: Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
